The European Parliament's lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, hopes for a ‘judicial discussion’ about the use of parliamentary assistants and not ‘a political discussion’. Far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen, who is appearing with 24 other people on suspicion of employing MEPs' assistants, used metaphors extensively in her first hearing before the criminal court, dodging questions in order to defend herself on political grounds. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES